The Internet has already changed India. But we’re only at the beginning of a significant transformation as we move from just over 150 million to more than a billion Indians online in the near future.

At this Big Tent Activate Summit in New Delhi on 21 March, we're bringing together leading Indian and international experts to discuss the changes we’re already seeing and to forecast those to come. Some of the questions we’ll aim to address include:

Can India gain a global competitive edge by enabling the full economic potential of the Internet?

Will the Internet dilute Indian culture, or can it help preserve and share it locally and globally?

How is the Internet already changing the democratic process, and what will happen as many more constituents come online?

There will be addresses by Eric Schmidt and other leading Indian and international public figures.

Time

Session

9:00 - 10:00

Registration

10:00 - 10:10

Welcome

Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India

10:10 - 10:25

Keynote Address

Kapil Sibal, Cabinet Minister for Communications and IT

10:25 - 11:35

Panel: Enabling the Economic Impact of the Internet in India

Moderator: Vikram Chandra, CEO, NDTV Group

Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Infrastructure, Information and Innovations

Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau, Director, Economist Intelligence Unit

Anu Madgavkar, Senior Fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Deep Kalra, Founder & CEO, MakeMyTrip.com

11:35 - 12:15

Lightning Talks: The impact of the Internet on Indian society

Neil D'Souza, Founder, ZAYA.org

Umar Saif, Associate Professor, LUMS School of Science and Engineering

Saroo Brierley

12:15 - 13:30

Lunch

13:30 - 14:15

Conversation: The role of the Internet in Indian Politics

Moderator: Barkha Dutt, Group Editor, NDTV

Stephanie Cutter, Political Consultant

Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir

Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for HRD

Smriti Irani, Member of Parliament

14:15 - 14:30

Google+ Hangout on Technology in Politics

Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, Gujarat

14:30 - 15:15

Fireside chat with Eric Schmidt and Alan Rusbridger

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google

Alan Rusbridger, Editor, The Guardian

15:15 - 16:05

Debate: Is the Internet killing the media industry?

Jeff Jarvis, Professor, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

Raghav Bahl, Managing Director, Network18

Siddharth Varadarajan, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu

Sanjay Salil, Managing Director, MediaGuru

16:05 - 17:10

Lightning Talks: The Impact of the Internet on Indian Culture

Amit Sood, Director, Google Cultural Institute

Shekhar Kapur, Film Maker

Shantanu Moitra, Music Director

17:10 - 19:00

Cocktails

Venue

The Big Tent will take place at the Taj Palace Hotel, which is located just a few minutes drive from both the airport and the city center.

From Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Taj Palace Hotel is a 15 km drive along Gurgaon Express Highway (NH8). The journey should take approximately than 30 minutes. Landmark: Dhaula Kuan Road next to ITC Maurya Sheraton.

Arriving by car from New Delhi:

From Connaught Place in Central New Delhi, the Taj Palace is a 7-8 kms drive towards Dhaula Kuan road. The journey should take approximately 15-20 mins.